The Come Up (Book II) : PRODIGY

Chapter 25 - Who released my tape?

I watch the large clock on the wall ticking to it's own rhythm. The hour hand that is as large as my arm is on the silver block in  the place of 9 PM and the minute hand fidgets on the half hour. Chanel still isn't home yet. The house is dimly lit and empty. My throat burns as I throw back another shot of Henny. That would make my sixth. Or at least some number around there, I've lost count. 

I stare at my cellphone. Flex's number highlighted but no one present to push call. 

I don't believe her. 

Flex would never do that to me. Not something so personal, not something he's seen me cry about, heard me speak about on countless occasions. He's built me and Chanel back up, he's listened to both of us hurt for so long and he's the first person to lecture us about privacy from the Media. He would never release such a personal tape to the world. And he's man enough, he would have owned up to it by now. He's watched me treat Emil like shit for a really long time. 

My mind briefly runs on Emil, has he ever admitted to releasing the tape? 

I rack my brain. I rub my hands up and down my face and pour out another shot. The large Henny bottle is half empty. 

Did Emil ever admit to it's release? 

My vision blurs only slightly as the alcohol takes a warm space in my stomach. 

"Have you went back and listened to your actual reference track since the project was leaked?" Mila's voice echos in my head. 

"I dare you to." I can see her evil smile as clear as day. 

I laugh and shake my head then throw the seventh shot back. Or some number around there, lets go with seven. 

I grunt and close my eyes tight, my jaw clenching so hard I have to swallow. 

Chanel's laptop sits to my left. All my reference tracks were updated to my email's drive, that way I never lose a session. Everything was there. Every song on the leaked project before it's mastery. I hadn't listened back. I was so angry and so hurt that I never even thought about listening back. 

I stopped pouring shots and took a swig of the bottle. 

I set it down on the desk holding the lamp, grabbed Chanel's laptop and opened it up. The loading alone, showed my level of patience. As I tap the keys hoping to possibly make it operate faster. Quickly, I type in her password, sign out of her email and access my own. 

My files stare back at me. Nothing named '808 and heartaches' but instead 'Songs in C". None of the songs actually ended up being in the C chord, but she was the subject of every one. Chanel Little. 

The folder looks bigger than all the other folders, but I know my eyes deceive me. It moves out towards me as if I have already clicked it.

"I dare you to." Mila's voice echos again. 

I double click on the folder and watch as the songs are listed out before me. I click play on the first song of the journal and static greets me with a low bang, like something hit the mic. And something did hit the mic. I remember the night I wrote song number one. I was drunk and still drinking. Before the beat even begun, my glass clipped the mic. I let out a huff of laughter, my face in disbelief.